LooseCannon wrote:I'm sure he'd like to go in the HOF as a Yankee.... he helped them win the World Series and does New York ever boo the Rocket....Boston did in the .... I think 99 playoffs....why would you want to go in with the team that booed you when you left... you want to go in as a team that respects you and that's the Yanks...

Have you forgotten that Clemens screwed the Yanks by coming out of retirement to pitch for the 'Stros? A lot of Yankee fans I know absolutely hate him for that.

What's the reason behind Sox fans hating Clemens? Is it just because he became a Yankee? If memory serves it was the Red Sox organization that treated Clemens badly on the way out, not the other way around.

Maine has a good swing for a pitcher but on anything that moves, he has no chance. And if it's a fastball, it has to be up in the zone. Basically, the pitcher has to hit his bat. - Mike Pelfrey

Amazinz wrote:What's the reason behind Sox fans hating Clemens? Is it just because he became a Yankee? If memory serves it was the Red Sox organization that treated Clemens badly on the way out, not the other way around.

there's layers there.

a) it wasn't the nation that treated roger dodger badly. it was duquette who figured clemens was washed up and his money was better spent on petie.

b) when clemens was considering leaving the sox, he said that if he did he only wanted to play in the national league so he would never have to face them, except potentially in the world series. two years later... he's with the yankees.

c) let's face it: clemens is an idiot. ungodly arm, but god-awful head. saying if he gets inducted as a red sox he'll have his own induction ceremony at home. going through all the fanfare of retiring as a yankee and then unretiring to be an astro. naming all of his kids with the letter k. i can go on, but you get the point. he's an idiot.

d) he won championships with the yankees. that just hurts. not as much now that the sox have won it themselves, but it hurt then. and still does a little bit.

so i guess 2 of these 4 reasons involve him becoming a yankee... but it isn't quite that simple and it would be like asking if i was looked down as a dinner guest at your house just because once, when i was over, i dropped my pants and crapped all over the dining room table. is that the only reason you're not inviting me back? really? just that one thing? you get the gist.

Anyway, here’s what Clemens does over the next two seasons: 41-13, 2.39 ERA, 498.2 innings, 563 K’s, 156 walks, two straight Cy Youngs. All on a crappy team, of course (God forbid this ever happened on a good team). As I wrote two years ago, watching Clemens light it up in Canada was like breaking up with your girlfriend, then watching her hire a personal trainer, shed 15 pounds, spend 10 Gs on a boob job and join the cast of “Baywatch.” But worse.

I'm sure you've all read it, but I think it gives a good example of why the RSN hates Clemens. For all they say about his conditioning now, it's easy to forget that he was not on the same regimine at the end of his Boston career.

Anyway, here’s what Clemens does over the next two seasons: 41-13, 2.39 ERA, 498.2 innings, 563 K’s, 156 walks, two straight Cy Youngs. All on a crappy team, of course (God forbid this ever happened on a good team). As I wrote two years ago, watching Clemens light it up in Canada was like breaking up with your girlfriend, then watching her hire a personal trainer, shed 15 pounds, spend 10 Gs on a boob job and join the cast of “Baywatch.” But worse.

I'm sure you've all read it, but I think it gives a good example of why the RSN hates Clemens. For all they say about his conditioning now, it's easy to forget that he was not on the same regimine at the end of his Boston career.

Yea, people forget that Clemens really DID look like he was on the last legs of his career back then.

K/BB went from
291/62 in 1988
241/65 in 1991
160/67 in 1993
168/71 in 1994
132/60 in 1995

At this point he is 34, his K/BB ratio had become significantly worse for a few straight years (he actually had a very good K/BB in 1996) and there is very little reason to expect him to be great for another 3 years let alone 9. He showed that he was still a good pitcher but not 'The Rocket' anymore. It's obvious from what he has done since then that he was not giving it his all his last few years in Boston. We got half effort when he was capable of so much more which does not at all endear him to any Red Sox fans.

Amazinz wrote:What's the reason behind Sox fans hating Clemens? Is it just because he became a Yankee? If memory serves it was the Red Sox organization that treated Clemens badly on the way out, not the other way around.

Everybody hates Clemens.

Many Jays fans don't like him because he demanded a trade from Toronto after he won his 2 Cy Youngs (in what could be argued his best 2 seasons as a pitcher).

The one exception is that when the Jays got him they knew that he only came for the extra $3M that we paid him and when his jerkiness came through at least we got a few players for him (ok Homer Bush sucked but at least we got a few more good years out of Wells).

Both the Red Sox and the Yankee fans felt that Clemens owed them something. If you treated him like the greedy hired gun that he is you would have been much better off.

When Clemens pitches for you - don't cheer the player, cheer the performance. When he pitches against you, boo the player.